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Hall — who at age 91 is the oldest sitting member in the history of the House of Representatives — finished in first place in the March primary but failed to earn the majority of the vote necessary to avoid the runoff that has ultimately ended his career representing the Lone Star State’s 4th District.

“I thank Congressman Hall for serving us admirably, and wish him the best moving forward,” said Ratcliffe, in a written statement to POLITICO. “I look forward to representing the 4th District of Texas in U.S. House of Representatives and fighting for the conservative values which I’ve defended throughout my career.”

Ratcliffe benefited from the momentum in the days following the primary and courted support from conservative groups such as the Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund, who were eager to claim a win against a once-untouchable incumbent. The Club for Growth, the Madison Project, and Senate Conservatives Fund all congratulated Ratcliffe soon after the race was called.

Ratcliffe loaned his campaign $400,000 from his personal wealth and funneled that money into well-regarded campaign strategists and digital advertising. Hall’s initial strategy, meanwhile, relied heavily on his name recognition and did not initially include an aggressive fundraising push.

Following the primary, the race quickly became an exercise in catching-up for Hall. His campaign aggressively raked in endorsements from high-profile politicians like Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Texas Rep. Ron Paul. The campaign also began tapping into Hall’s deep network of influential friends — including his colleagues in Congress — to close a fundraising gap.

The race grew increasingly negative during the final month before the election. The Ratcliffe campaign, which had long been careful to avoid questions about Hall’s age and instead focused on the length of Hall’s tenure in Congress, became gradually more willing to raise Hall’s age as an issue. For its part, the Hall campaign sought to call into question Ratcliffe’s conservative credentials and his background as an attorney.

Although Hall is the first incumbent congressman to fall to a primary rival this cycle, the race does not neatly fall into the dominant establishment-versus-tea-party narrative. Both Hall and Ratcliffe are stark conservatives and both courted — with success — the tea party vote in the state.

Hall was first elected in 1980 as a conservative Democrat, switching parties in 2004.